Thaisa Bastetti's trip to Italy ends in Genoa: the Brazilian searching for the memory of her Italian grandfather who left on a ship from Superba

Genoa – His ancestors left Genoa to emigrate to Brazil at the end of the nineteenth century, on board one of the many steamships that went back and forth to the new world from the port under the Lanterna. Then in 1942 grandfather Arlindo returned to Italy to fight with the Allies during the Second World War and during his stay as a soldier, detached in particular on the Apennine front, he sent a series of postcards to his family on the other side of the ocean , one from each city or town to which the war took him. Now Thaisa Bestetti, a forty-three year old Brazilian, Arlindo's granddaughter, is in Italy to retrace her grandfather's path. Yesterday you told your story in Genoa, in the presence of the mayor Marco Bucci, who took advantage of the occasion and the place, the Emigration Museum at Commenda, to announce the twinning between Genoa and Santos: «The choice has been made and we just have to sign the respective resolutions. Thaisa's story, as well as those of many migrants between Italy and Brazil, reminded us that along the route of hope the two ports of departure and arrival were Genoa and Santos, which is also the port of San Paolo”.

Returning to Thaisa, who lived between Brazil and Spain and works in the sports marketing sector, it is precisely based on the diary and postcards that were sent from the over 70 Italian cities visited by grandfather Arlindo, who took a 10-day trip across 5 regions, discovering 30 places, to find the descendants of his grandfather's friends and the countries involved in this story. «I reconnected with the history of my family and that of two countries that have many things in common – she said – it was a wonderful experience. I visited many Italian locations, including Pisa, Riola, Bologna, Reggio Emilia, Parma, Borgonovo Val Tidone, Alessandria, Rapallo and, of course, Genoa. In these cities I met the descendants of those who hosted my grandfather during the war years and gave copies of the postcards sent by my grandfather in those years to the mayors and institutions that welcomed her warmly.” Yesterday Thaisa symbolically handed Bucci the postcard of the last stage of the journey. Present at the meeting were: Paolo Masini, President of the MEI Foundation who strongly wanted and supported the project; Fabio Porta, deputy elected in the South America division and President of the Italy-Brazil parliamentary friendship group; Alessandra Bianchi, councilor for sport, sports facilities and tourism of the Municipality of Genoa; Hadil da Rocha-Vianna, Ambassador Consul General of Brazil in Milan with a video greeting. A project that was not just a simple tour, because Thaisa is still looking for the families who gave hospitality to his military grandfather, saving his life in at least one case.

“I am I grew up listening to the story of my family's emigration to Brazil and I have always been interested in the topic. With this trip I'm fulfilling a dream,” she said. Fabio Porta, deputy elected in the South American division, recalled that «Both in Genoa and in San Paolo in Brazil are the two locations of the migration museum; because they are the places from where many Italians left or transited towards the Americas. In Brazil today there is the largest community of Italian descendants in the world, over thirty million people.” “Thaisa's journey” is the first event held in the year of roots tourism. From an idea by Romina Deprati they collaborated in the realization of the project of the National Museum of Italian Emigration which also falls on the 150th anniversary of Italian emigration to Brazil: Andrea Pedemonte, the Unpli, the emigrants' councils such as Migrer, the Italy-Brazil Friendship Association, the Regional Anci. The vehicle for Thaisa's Journey was made available by “I projects of the heart” Benefit Society. In Liguria, the “In Liguria” Agency, present at the event yesterday, is responsible for this project and all those that are part of the so-called “roots tourism”, which focuses on the incoming potential represented by the descendants of migrants.